Coupling for insulators



Patented Sept. 9, i924.

- un rsn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

T GEORGE w. BOW'ER, or SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, assrenon T GENERAIiq-ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK. I I I COUPLING FOR INSULA'IOBS.

To all whom. it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. Bowen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovement-s in Couplings for Insulators, of which the following is a specification. The present invention relates to couplings for sus'pcnsion'high tension insulators of the so-ternied link type which comprise a number'of insulator members connected together by couplings to form a string, the string being suspended from one end and supporting'the wire at the other end.

The object ofmy invention is to provide an improved coupling for such insulators, and for a consideration of what I believe to be-novel and my invention, attention is di- 0rected to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of an insulator string employing couplings (usually termed hard- -ware) embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an end coupling and suspension hook; Fig. 3 is an exploded 'i perspectivg/view of the coupling shown in ig. 2; Fig, 4 is a perspective view of an "intermediate coupling, and Fig. 5 is an explodcd perspective view of the coupling shown in Fig. 4-:

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the insulator members which in general are made of porcelain. They may be of any w I suitable shapeand are provided with'the usual openings 11 to receive the U-shaped I links 12. Links 12 have heads -13 at their ends and openings 11 are of such size that .the links may be hooked into them without 'difiiculty.

Tlief'insulator members and links illuslrated are of well-known type and are to be lalien as typical of any suitable structure. My invention relates more particularly to the couplings to which the links are attachcd and which serve to supportthe in- 7 sula'tor members and fasten them together,

and in this connection I will describe first -9 the intermediate couplings and then the end couplings. I I The intermediate couplings, as shown in F igsf 4 and 5! comprise complenientary halves 14: and 15 connected together by a single bolt 16 located midway of their'ends.

Application filed September 1 6. 1921. Serial No. 501,051.

The openings 40 through which the bolt passes are square and an ordinary carriage bolt is used, the squareportion of the bolt adjacent its head fitting one of the square openings t6 prevent it from turning so the nut 17 on item be tightened with a single wrench. Under the nut is a lock washer 18. Complementary halves 14: and 15are alike in structure so they are interchangeable. y

Each comprises flat, substantially parallel top and bottom walls 19 and 20'connected on one side by an arched side wall 21 atthe apex of which is the rectangular 0 ening 40 through which bolt 16 passes. wall 21 is reinforced by ribs 22. Walls 19 and 20 are shaped to cooperate with arched side wall 21 so the result is'a coupling half which is arched and reinforced in a transverse plane. At the two ends ofv the half are semi-cylindrical housings 23 in the top and bottom walls of which are semi-circular grooves 24. At one end of'the Half the inner wall of'the housing is provided with a projection 25 and at the other end the similar wall has a slot 26 of a size to receive a projection 25. The side of the half opposite wall 21 is open'and fiat except for proide" U jection 25 which extends beyond the plane I Fig. 4 the projection 25 of each half fits the slot 26 of the other half and the semicircular grooves 24 form round openings through which the ends of links 12 pro- .ject. the under sides of the heads 13 engaging the walls surrounding such openings. Nut 17 is screwed up tight to hold the two halves together and projection 25 and slots 26, which form in substance a tongue and groove connection, prevent them from twisting. I

The weight of the insulator is taken by heads 13 resting on the wall surrounding the openings formed by grooves 24. The pull ofthese heads tends to spread apart the two halves 14; and 15 at their ends and the function of the arched construction is to strengthen the halves in a transverse di- ,rection so they will be strong enough to withhold the forces tending to spread them.

By the use of this arched construction the I arms ofthe U-shaped links 12. It is therefore not necessary to bend the arms of links 12 toward each other after the hook has been hooked into engagement with an ins'ula'tor member in orderto fasten its ends "to a coupling. This avoids the possibility ofbreakm or putting strains on the insulator mein r when building up an insulator string as shown Fig. 1; it also avoids y imembers and "thus-allows a 'h side 'bending eiiect on the insulator to be la'ced on the string.

- In .igs..2,and 3 is illustrated a connector embodying my invention but modified bein provided with a hook whenused.

-for.use at .the top-or bottom of a string, it

i at t atop or an eye 31 when usedat the ..-the.- same reference numerals with the exponent 58.? added. The two side. walls 21" are arched to give strength in a lateral direction to prevent spreading at the endsand the -wall 19 slopes upward from its two ends and has. a flat top at its center in which isan opening through whiehithe end of hook 30 extends,- a ,hea engaging the wall surrounding such open- 32 onthe end of; the hook 0,; I p i V p I gtring insulatorsdf this type are usually it is ofgreat advantage to have couplin s which are easy to use, requiring 'no too s, except an ordinary wrench and requiring' no bendin together of the ends of the U- shaped li toward each other, while at the same time the coupling is not unduly heavy and is strong and rigid enough that it will not spread at the ends. ,Such couplings are 'made as castings and are used in large quantities, and itis essential that they take aslittle material as possible to limit their weightand cost. My coupling is light in weight so it can be produced at a low cost but at the same time is simply strong.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have. described the principle of operation 'of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but

I desire to have it understood that the ap paratus shown is only illustrative and that the inve'utionmay be carried out-by other means.

What I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A coupling for the U-shapefisupporting links for insulators, said coupling comprising flat top and bottom webs and igher stress.

5 12. By reason of. the arched construction I am enabled to make the cou- Y arched side walls, said top and bottom walls being provided at their ends with openings spaced to receive the two ends of an porting links, and said coupling being split in a longitudinal, vertical plane through the cen- "centers of said openings, a bolt which passes transversely through the arched 'walls to ,hold the parts of the coupling together, and means forming a-tongue and-groove connection between said partsto' prevent their turningrelatively to each other.

3. .A coupling for insulators of the .suspension type .comprising "complementary alves, eachhavin 1 a laterally arched side wall exteriorly we bed longitudinally and eachhavingfflanges forming top and bottom -.walls which ineet in edge to edge engage- Inent when the halves are drawn together, land a bolt for drawing together andholdassembled in the fieldby the lineman andn ing saidhalves in engagement, saidbolt being passed through openings in eachlmlf midway between the ends of each half and at a right angleto the common .plane of the meeting edges, said meeting edges be ing provided with complementary grooves forming. a plurality of parallel openings spaced to receive standard U-shaped supporting links. 4. A'coupling for insulators of the suspension type comprising a pair of closed end channel bars forming complementary-halves and being held together in edgeto edge en,

gagement so that thebottoms of the cha'nnels form the opposed side walls and the top and bottom ,flanges form top and: bottom walls respectively of a hollow girder structure, the opposed channel bottoms being convexly arched and webbed extei'iorlyln the direction of their length, and each channel bar being provided interiorly witha pair of webs betweenits flanges, and carrying ,means for positioning the halves with re spect to each other, said channel bars ha'v-' ing complementarygrooves in the engaging ges of the flanges. forming openings to .ceive and hold the headed'ends of insu-- 'etor coupling-links by the neck portion 1 thereof.

In witness whereof, I have. hereunto set' m hand this 15th day of September 1921.

GEORGE W. BOWER." 

